Coin selector



Nov. 28, 1950 w. J. SUMMERS 2,532,205

COIN SELECTOR Filed July 23, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

" awz w Nov. 28, 1950 w. J. SUMMERS 2,532,205

com SELECTOR Filed July 25, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w Q n IN VEN TOR.

BY Wkm/Jarrmery 24% 5M Patented Nov. 28, 1956 UN 117E D' STATS t? Fl E.

2.5%23051 COIN SELECTOR William .J. Summers, Chicago, Ill., assigiior, by

mesne. assignments, to. Royal. Patent Corporation, Chicago, 111., acorporationof Illinois Application .luly 23, 1949, Serial No. 106,353;

1 ZClaims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in. coin selectors of the type designed and constructedsfor use in connection. with various apparatuses, such for example, vending machines and. coin-controlied:amusement apparatuses.

An object of the invention is toseperate certain spurious coins or tokens from genuine. coins. An object of.: the inventionis to provide as. a part of such coin selector control switch, thetactuator of which is locatedsuhstantially remotely from. the. entrance slot on the coin selector so as to prevent fraudulent operation thereof. as well as to prevent interference .with the same by reason of the passage oidust, dirt crother foreign.

matter or. substance through. the. coin entrance slot.

Yet another and: equally important object of this invention is to'associatewith a. coin selector of the typehereinafter describeda switch constructed in. a. manner such; as permits operation thereof only by engagement with. a coinend one which cannot be closed otherwise, suchfor example, by vibration or shaking of the machine by one seeking to fraudulently operate such machine without the deposit ofa proper and required coin.

Yet a further andvequally important object of the invention is: the provision in a coin selector of an arrangement which will prevent the actuation of the switch by the use. of a genuine coin tied to the end of a string and fed through the coin pathway with the intent of retracting the genuine coin after it has effected the opera.- tion of the control switch.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a coin selector of an improved construction, one comprising relatively few parts and of a size which permits convenient installation in an associated apparatus.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts. to be hereinafter described andclaimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying. drawings showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. 1 is fragmentary perspective view of a mounting panel or door iupon which the coin selector embodying this invention is mounted;

Fig. 2 .is a sectional detail view through the panel or door illustrating a side elevational view of the coin "selector with. a wall thereof removed;

Fig. 3 is a. fragmentary, sectional detail, view through such. paneltor door "illustrating. an op.-

2. posite side elevationa-l-view of the coin. selector. fromithat shown in Rig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail:view takensubstam tially on line i-Ao'fiFig. 2.; i

Fig. 5. is a seotionaldetailiview takensubstantially on lineI5-5 of Fig.2; and

Fig dis a fragmentary/sectional detail. view taken .substantially on. line 6-6. of. Fig. 3.

The preferred formrot construction for earrye ing my inventionfiintoeifect is illustrated in the. accompanying. drawings.

In this connection; amounting panel. or doorof a machine with. whichk' our. coin selector is adapted toi'be. associated isindioatedi at i ii. This mounting panel it is provided at its-upper end, portion with ans opening ii. The portionsof the mounting. panel: around the opening are ra moved as at |2..to.jprovide; accommodations for adjacent portions Ofl. the. coin. selector... This opening I I is closed by an escutcheoh. plate t3; secured in any suitable manner, as by. means of screws or bolts 14, to the. mountingpanell Hi.

This escutcheon plate i 3. provided with an elongatedslot .lhwhich extends diagonally with respect to: a verticalline "through the. escutch'eon. plate 13,- This opening laconstitutes theficoin entrance slot and-is of a length and width to permit passage therethrough only of a coinotno greater than proper or required diameter and Width.

To facilitate. guiding the coin for passage. through. the opening [5 there is. provided a guide plate [6 having a shelf l-l 'on which the coin mounted. edgewise. with a side thereof tilted in flat contact with the vertical wall is of the guide. plate it. Like the opening. iii, the, guide plate extends diagonally. with respect to the. hereinbefore stated vertical line through the escut cheon plate 53 thus tiltingvthe coin at an angle with; respect to such line in its movement through the or r tea e s her na er o e pere ent.

My improved coin. selector comprises a side l t of S b t nt l trian u ar f mat n side elevation and providing at its upper and lower edges. inwardly turned flanges 2i) and Zzl. Secured in; spaced relation; withirespect to the side wall iilgandoflilrc formation, is aremovable sidewall 22 having flanged-portions;Zitoverlap ping the flanges Zllgand 2i joined together byan end flange 2 4. In the top flange of the flanges 23 is provided an-opensl'ot 25 which is adapted to receivethe shank'tfixot a thumb screw 21; the latter serving to. removable! attach the side: wall "22 in spacedlrelation to the wall 19 when threaded contact with deflecting finger 3 from whence t 3 into the flange 25 of the wall 49 upon the adjacent flange 23 of the wall 22.

The two side walls is and 22 when secured together in the manner shown in Fig. l of the drawings provide an enclosure fo various coin pathways.

One of these pathways is indicated at 28. This pathway is the coin receiving pathway, receiving the coin as it passes through the slot l5. This pathway 28 includes a track bar 29 formed substantially rectangular in cross-section and secured to the inner surface of the wall i9 in a predetermined position beneath an offset portion or recess 35. The end if of this recess 35 terminates into an abutment 32. This abutment functions to deflect a coin of a diameter less than the required diameter from the coin receiving pathway into a rejection pathway.

This rejection pathway which is indicated at R, includes the flange 2! which provides a track for the rejected coins. This track is inclined in a direction toward an outlet slot 33 formed in the mounting panel iii.

For reasons hereinafter pointed out, the track bar 29 has one end portion angled to provide an abutment finger extending laterally from the inside surface of the wall i9. Such wall 59 at the inner end portion of the receiving pathway 25 provides a rectangular opening 35 which communicates with an acceptance pathway 35 pro-- vided by a plate (ill secured to the side wall it in spaced relation with respect thereto by means of screws 38. A bar 35 which separates the plate 3': from the wall i5 provides a track lii for the accepted coins.

This bar 39 terminates short of the end ii of the plate 3? to provide-an acceptance slot ii through which the accepted coin passes out of the selector into a suitable collector box or container (not shown).

A rejected coin is retained partially within the return slot 33 by a plate 33' secured to the mount ing panel 15 as at 413. This rejected coin or token is retained by this plate 33 in a position where it can be readily removed by the operator of the machine with which the coin selector is associated. A diagonal shield i-B covers a portion oi the opening 35 so as to direct the acceptable coins into the acceptance pathway 55.

As shown particularly in Figs. 1, 3, and 5, the coin selector thus far described is mounted diagonally with respect to the panel it, thus disposing the pathways at an angle such that coins rolling by gravity through these pathways will bear against or hug the inside surface of the wall l9 and the plate fill.

The distance between the track edge 25 of the track bar 29 and the top edge 35 of the offset portion 35 is less than the diameter of a proper coin acceptable for the actuation of a control switch to be hereinafter described. This dis tance, however, is greater than the diameter of a coin having a diameter less than that of such proper coin. Consequently, an improper coin of a diameter of less than that of the proper coin will, by reason of the diagonal position of the select-or with respect to a vertical line throug the panel, be caused to tilt against the side wall and be projected into the offset recess 36, with the result that such improper coin will strike the abutment "52 and be deflected in a direction away from the side wall it off the track bar 29 int" improper coin will rebound into the reject" pathway R and from thence through the return.

slot 33 in a position to be reclaimed by the operator of the machine with which the coin se' lector is associated.

In order to prevent coins of a diameter slightly less than that of the required coin from wedging between the guide edge 35 at the forward portion of the recess 39 and the track bar 29, the edge 30 of such recess diverges upwardly, slightly, with respect to the track bar 29 in a direction toward the terminal of the receiving pathway. Any such coin under its own momentum will free itself by moving in the enlarged area of the recess 35 created by the diverging edge 30.

A proper coin in gravitating along the track bar 29, being of a diameter greater than the distance between the track edge 29 and the edge 35 of the ofiset recess 30, will be guided to the opening 35 and pass therethrough into the acceptance pathway 36.

If a string in some manner be tied or attached to this proper coin with the intent to withdraw the coin back through the coin pathway to be reclaimed by the operator prior to passage of the coin through the slot 12 and after actuation of a control switch hereinafter described, such retraction will be prevented by reason of the fact that the coin at the point of beginning of its retraction will strike against a stepped end portion 45 of the track bar 39. As the attached coin is in a tilted position against the plate 3i the stepped portion i5 will, upon attempted withdrawal of the attached coin tend to deflect such coin outwardly through an elongated opening :15 formed in the plate 37 and thereby prevent such coin from beingretracted through the coin pathway. If sufficient exertion is applied to the string by the operator, in an attempt to retract the coin the string may become broken by reason of the fact that the coin will be blocked in its retracted movement by the stepped portion 65 and the lower end portion of the arm 5| and upon such detachment the coin will drop into the coin box.

The control switch hereinbefore mentioned, as shown particularly in Fig. 6, comprises a mounting block ll connected by means of mounting screws il" to the side wall i9, and may, if desired be protected by a guard plate Hi. This mounting block ll carries a pair of spaced arms 48 perforated at their outer end portions to receive a shaft 59. On this shaft 49 is rotatably mounted a disk 55 of insulating material. Carried by and depending from the disk 55 is a finger 5|. The lower end portion of this finger 5! extends into the path of coins gravitating down the coin pathway 35 and has an angled end portion 52 (Fig. i) which is adapted to be engaged by such coins.

Rotation of the disk 55 in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3, is resisted by a spring 53 having one end portion 5d bear-ing against an adjacent arm of the arms 58 and an opposite end portion connected in any suitable manner to the finger 5i.

The mounting block 36 carries a pair of conductor arms 55 arranged in parallel spaced relation with respect to and insulated from. each other and provided at their outer end portions with contact heads 55 which yieldably bear against the adjacent sides of the disk 55. These contact head 55 are adapted to engage a conductor 5" carried by the disk 56 and extending therethrough whereby when the heads 55 engage the conductor- 57 a circuit will be completed between the conductor fingers 55, to which conductor fingers 55 are connected the conductor wires 58.

In connection with the control switch, it will be noted that when the disk 50 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction by action of a coin engaging the finger 51, the conductor 51 will be moved into a position to contact the heads 56 by a sliding or wiping action, thus resulting in maintaining the contact heads 56 clean and reducing the possibility of arcing. Inasmuch as it is necessary that the disk 50 be rotated to bring the conductor 5'! into engagement with the contact heads 56, it is apparent that vibrations'set off in the machine with which the switch is associated, either manually or by the operating mechanism of the machine, cannot efiect rotation of the disk 50. By reason thereof, the machine cannot be fraudulently actuated by one subjecting the machine to vibration or by mere shaking of the machine.

The relation between the arms 55 and disk 50 is such as results in an evenly balanced disk requiring for its rotation the mere engagement between a coin and the finger 5|.

A positive contact between the conductor 51 and the contact heads 56 is assured by reason of the yieldable bearing of these contact heads against adjacent sides of the disk 50 by the resilient character of the arms 55.

The advantages of my improved coin selector and the actuating switch are fully apparent from the description herein set forth.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into efiect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail byself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Let ers Patent is: i ii 1. A coin selector of the class described c mprising an enclosure having means for connection to a stationary support in a laterally tilted position with respect to a vertical plane and having therein a downwardly inclined coin receiving pathway tilted laterally with respect to said vertical plane, a rejection pathway having connection and reversely inclined with respect to the receiving pathway and likewise tilted laterally with respect to said vertical plane and a coin aoceptance pathway having connection with said receiving pathway at the point of connection between said receiving pathway and said rejection pathway and reversely inclined with respect to said receiving pathway and extending parallel with the rejection pathway, deflecting means at said point of connection for deflecting acceptable coins into said acceptance pathway from said receiving pathway, a side wall of said enclosure providing an elongated substantially ofiset recess communicating with said pathway and extending substantially parallel to and at one side of said receiving pathway and providing at one end thereof an abutment, a track secured to said wall below said recess-and on which acceptable coins gravitate through said receiving pathway into said acceptance pathway, the distance between said track and the top longitudinal edge portion of the recess being greater than the diameter of a non-acceptable coin to permit said non-acceptable coin to tilt by gravity into said recess for gravitation upon said track into striking engagement with said abutment for deflecting said nonacceptable coin into said rejection pathway.

2. The combination substantially set forth in claim 1 wherein the top longitudinal edge of said offset recess and said track diverge in the direction of gravitation of coins on said track.

WILLIAM J. SUMMERS REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 398,245 Ford Feb. 19, 1889 1,364,630 Hall Jan. 4, 1921 2,374,007 Fry Apr. 17, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,922 Netherlands of 1929 317,162 Great Britain of 1929 

